What is the Common Smooth-hound?
The common smooth-hound (Mustelus mustelus, also known as houndshark) is a species found in the Mediterranean, in the Eastern Atlantic and in the North Sea.
Very variable in size – the length varies on average from 40 to 150 cm, but several specimens reach and exceed 2 meters – It looks slim and slender, with bluish scales on the back and white on the belly. It prefers muddy bottoms and its favorite prey are molluscs, crustaceans and many kinds of fish.
What are the nutritional properties?
100 grams of common houndshark provide 80 Calories broken down as follows:
- 80% protein
- 14% lipids
- 6% carbohydrate
In particular, 100 grams of houndshark contain:
- 79.2 g of water
- 16 g of protein
- 1.2 g lipids
- 1.3 g of available carbohydrates
- 1.3 g of soluble sugars
- 1 mg Iron
- 31 mg Calcium
- 218 mg of phosphorus
- 0.03 mg of vitamin B1 or thiamine
- 0.03 mg vitamin B2 or riboflavin
- 5.6 mg of vitamin B3 or niacin (or vitamin PP)
- 15 micrograms of vitamin a retinol eq.
- traces of vitamin C
When should you not eat houndshark?
To date there are no known interactions between the consumption of houndshark and the intake of drugs or other substances.
Seasonality of houndshark
Houndshark fishing is carried out in all the months of the year. It is particularly widespread off Sicily.
Possible benefits and drawbacks of houndshark
The common smooth-hound, although relatively cheap, is a viable alternative from a nutritional point of view to more rare and expensive fish. Being a low calorie fish, it is found in weight loss diets. Furthermore, the high intake of high biological value proteins and the high content of some minerals (calcium, phosphorus and iron), make it suitable for feeding children. The lack of cholesterol makes it a suitable fish for those suffering from disorders of the cardiovascular system, and its easy digestibility makes it a suitable food for the elderly.
Care should be taken in the consumption of houndshark if the subject has a family history of allergies.
